Kira Origins
by Kira-Akabane
Summary: I've set this in an alternate reality where the Death Note doesn't go to Light but to someone else and is told from a first person perspective. Still includes all the original characters though.
1. Chapter 1

**Kira Origins**

My name is unimportant. What matters is my story. I am the one known to many as Kira, known to some as S but known to all in some way or another, because you do not need to know my name or even my face to know who and what I am. I am merely the manifestation of the human conscience.

**Chapter 1: September 30, 2008**

I had just started my third year in secondary school when it happened; when my life changed. The rain was particularly heavy that day and I sat at the back of the class listening as the teacher droned on monotonously about one thing or another. I looked up for a minute to find out what we were learning about and unsurprisingly it was a lesson about spirituality, being that this was a Religious Education class. Then the question came. "So, in the eyes of a religious man a criminal should be forgiven as long as he repents and serves his punishment. What do you think of this?" asked the teacher, gesturing with his arms towards us all, waiting for one of us to answer. Almost instantly a girl sat one row from the front threw her hand into the air. The teacher nodded towards her and she began to speak. "Well, I think that that's a good way to think. I mean, everyone deserves a second chance." Hmmph. How did I know that was coming? Looking around the class I could see that everyone would have given this answer if they had been picked. It's amazing how in social situations people feel they have to put on this act and pretend that they are forgiving and understanding and politically correct.

I pack away my things quietly and shuffle out of the class when the bell rings and the teacher permits us to leave. Walking down the corridor all I see is a battle. Good versus evil. It's the same in any school in the country, wherever you go. The weak are picked on and the strong thrive on the fear they sew into their victims minds. It's as if their target's pain is their sustenance, like a vampire leeching the blood out of a once beautiful creature, turning it into a shrivelled husk. One kid is shoved against a wall by students at least two years above him. Another is yelled and laughed at from people following behind him as he makes his way to class, doing nothing but minding his own business. People like this think they are powerless but that's not the case, not in the slightest. If they banded together they could stop the minority that threaten them but the ones in the middle, the ones who are neither the bullies nor the bullied, stand by and do nothing, refusing to take sides. Perhaps this is through fear or perhaps it's because they do not wish to stand out. After all, society today is based around groups and the need to fit into them. However, all it takes is for one person to break away from the crowd and fight for their beliefs to spark a revolution. How I long to be that person.

I could walk the streets from school to my home with my eyes closed and I often do as it allows me to think more clearly. On this particular day it's a solitary sound that makes me stop and open my eyes. I look around me at the brick walls on either side of me and wonder where the sound could have come from. It sounded like something falling but from looking around I can't see what could be the cause; nothing but an empty gennel. However, I decide to keep a lookout as continue my walk home. Just as I'm about to exit the gennel I spot something on the ground next to a bin. It doesn't look like it's been there long as it's not covered in mud or dust or anything. _This must be what I heard fall! _I think as I go to pick it up. At first glance it seems to simply be a notepad of some sort. It's face down on the floor as I bend down to retrieve it, scanning my eyes over the black cover. I straighten up and hold the notebook in my hands, not bothering to look at the front of it just yet as I start to turn over the back cover. There's nothing written in it. At least not in the back. Turning it over to examine the front of I hope for a title of some sort to tell me what this thing is. I get exactly that. **DEATH NOTE**. Written in big white letters at the top of the cover of the notebook. _Death Note? Is this a joke? What is this thing?_ Even though I have my suspicions I open up my bag and place the notebook in there with my school stuff, hoping to try and figure it out at home where I have a small amount of privacy.

As I walk in the front door I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror as usual and think fleetingly at how untidy my hair is before going to throw my bag into the cupboard. I do this every time I come home and the force of habit almost makes me forget about the notebook. After retrieving it from my bag I make my way upstairs to my room, shut my door and sit on my bed looking at the thing in my hand. _Death Note…so it's used for writing names of the deceased or something…? _ I decide that I clearly have no idea what I'm looking at so I decide to look through it to try and find some clues. I look around first and decide to make it seem that I'm actually doing something in here so I turn on my TV in the corner and then turn my attention back to the notebook. On opening it I'm confronted with a black page covered in white writing, just like the front cover.

**DEATH NOTE**

**How to use it**

**I**

_Wait! There are instructions for this thing?_ Scanning my eyes down the page I read the first two rules on how to use it, hardly able to contain my excitement, my fear, but also my scepticism.

**The human whose name is written in this note shall die.**

**This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.**

_This is unbelievable. According to this notebook I can use it to actually kill people!_ I ponder the possibilities of actually using the Death Note and whether it would be right to do so but as I do my mind harks back to today's lesson when the girl at the front had said that everyone deserves a second chance, and how I resented those words, knowing them to be lies brought about through social desirability. Of course I should use the notebook. But only if it works, of course. This was the big question but something inside me knew that it just had to work.

I turn the TV channel over to the news and quickly identify my first target. A report on the man was being made live from the scene of the crime. The news reporter was standing with a microphone in his hand and a solemn look on his face. "I'm here at the scene of this horrendous crime where a family of four was brutally murdered in their home in what is being described as a random attack. We can reveal to you now that the culprit, a Mr Mark Donovan, has fled the scene and is now on the run. We urge anyone who has any leads to come forward. Here is a recent picture of Mr Donovan." _Perfect!_ The photo flashes up on screen and I stare into the face of one of many criminals I despise from the moment I lay eyes on them. I reach for the notebook and the pen I keep on my bookshelf next to my bed and write his name down, keeping his face in my mind the whole time. A thought then hits me. _How will I know he's dead? _"Dammit, I should have accounted for that" I mumble to myself but my despair is short-lived as the reporter presses his finger to his ear. "Yes! We can now bring you the news that Mr Donovan has been apprehended not far from here and we have a camera crew at the scene!" _Luck must be on my side after all_. I allow myself a smile and continue watching as the image on the screen wobbles. It looks as though the cameraman is running to try and get a shot of Donovan before he's escorted away. From what I can make out Donovan had been surrounded by police officers and was being almost dragged along the street, struggling all the way. All of a sudden a man wails in pain and the cameraman stops running and is able to get a clearer shot. Donovan is now on his knees clutching at his heart as the officers look on in shock. He falls to the pavement and all is silent. I hear the beating of my own heart and stare at the name I wrote in the Death Note and then flick back to the first page and my eyes widen as I read the next two rules.

**If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.**

**If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.**

_A heart attack…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: October 1, 2008**

The next day I decide to take the Death Note to school with me. _What could be the harm, right?_ I talk to my friends as usual and act like nothing out of the ordinary is happening to me when in fact just having the notebook in my bag feels like I'm carrying around a vial of nitro-glycerine that could combust at any second. I go through the normal routine at school just like every other day but it had never hit me before how pointless my life was before I found the Death Note. The best I could have hoped for was some good grades and a comfy, menial, monotonous job somewhere. Now though, now I am the decision maker of life. I choose who will live and who will die. I…I'm a god. _There's still only one name in the Death Note though. If I'm a god then I'm the laziest god around. It's decided; the revolution starts tonight. _The rest of the day passes smoothly just as it always does. Throughout the day I took comfort in the fact that I was about to bring about a new world order, that that night marked the beginning of a new age. As I turned into the doorway of my next class I heard one of my friends behind me. "Hey S, wait up!" I realise it's David who's in this next class with me so I pause and wait for him to catch up and then we both take a seat on one of the desks next to the window as everyone else files in. We don't talk much during class, mostly because we're both too bored to say anything. I stare into a space above the board while David twirls his pen in his fingers next to me. However, during a lull in the class David turns slightly towards me. "Hey, S?"

"Yes, David?" I reply, trying to sound interested.

"You hear about Jordan this morning?"

"What? The Jordan that's two years above us?" I enquire looking slightly puzzled.

"Yeah. Apparently he's got taken in for questioning by the police for sexual assault. There's talk of him getting expelled and they're keeping him in a cell overnight" replies David in a tone that doesn't really show any emotion one way or the other on the subject. I nearly snap the pencil in my hand when I hear this. "Oh right. Well, I'm sure he'll get what's coming to him" I say trying not to grit my teeth.

When the class ends I know exactly who my next victim will be. _Thanks David. If I'm the executioner you definitely played your part as the prosecution._ I walk to a corridor that's always empty during dinner and set my bag down on the floor. Reaching inside and feeling around I eventually clutch onto the Death Note. I've pulled it halfway out of the bag when I drop it back in. "So, you actually are finding it useful then." The voice that comes from the other end of the corridor takes me by surprise and I instantly look up to see who it came from. Standing at the very end of the corridor, bathed from behind with light making the figure only a silhouette, is a creature that I couldn't have conjured up in my nightmares. Its legs were unbelievably long and thin and its arms completed the elongated set. It stood stooped, obviously a bit too tall for the corridor in which it now found itself. As I stood staring at it it ventured closer. It had gotten to within about twenty feet of me when I could clearly make out all of its features. From the long face and the wide yellow eyes to its costume of what looked like leather and fur that seemed to be stitched into its skin at the chest. Its mouth spread into a smile as it looked at me. "Nice to meet you." it said in a fairly low, gravelly voice. Strangely I wasn't scared or shocked or worried. I was in awe. "So you're the human who found my Death Note huh?" _His Death Note?_

"Wait, this is yours?" I reply, wondering what would happen if anyone was to see this thing.

"Of course. Who else but a shinigami would carry around a Death Note? Apart from you that is." The smile grew wider. _A shinigami? A god of death? _"So you've come to get it back then?"

"Oh, no no. Once a Death Note touches the ground in the human world it belongs to the human world. The first person to pick it up is the new owner"

"You're saying that I own a shinigami's Death Note now? Forever?" At this the smile broke out into a full menacing grin. "Kind of." By this point I have no idea what is real anymore. If I could be standing in my own school talking to a real life shinigami then what else could happen? Then it hits me. _I own a shinigami's Death Note! I really am as close to a god as you could get._ "By the way, I'm Ryuk" says the shinigami, interrupting my train of thought.

"I'm…"

"I already know who you are" replies Ryuk. I stare at him puzzled because at this point he seems to be transfixed by something above my head.

"Ok well just call me S" and I smile back at him.

Sat in my room I go over and over the possibilities of what I could achieve with the notebook and how much good I could do in the world. I could rid the world of thieves, liars, murderers, rapists… _Sexual offenders…_The thought comes back to me in an instant and I reach for my bag. I open the Death Note and put my pen on the page but then stop. Flicking back to the front page I take a look at the rule at the bottom

**After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.**

_Details of the death? _I turn to Ryuk who is laid on my bed watching me. "Ryuk?"

"Yeah?"

"By 'details of the death' does it mean how and when the person will die?"

"You betcha. Have fun." The smile returns. _Hmmm, I need to see how far I can push this. _Deciding that there's no time like the present I return my pen to the paper and start to write.

Jordan Moorehouse  
Suicide  
Hangs himself with his shirt in his cell at 01:00 on October 2nd

After deciding that I'm satisfied with what I've wrote I turn on the TV again and turn it straight to the news. The presenter is just finishing a report on fiscal shares so I wait. It's a certainty that there will be some kind of crime or tragedy reported. That's the only thing you can really count on when it comes to the news. So much death. So much heartache. So much crime. This is only for the time being though because in my world, my new world, there will be only the good and the righteous. All will be judged by me. The news catches my attention again and the report that comes up next makes me grin a grin that even Ryuk would be proud of. "They were believed to be working alone and have no connections to any other terrorist organisation. However, it is believed that there actions were based on beliefs held by fellow supporters of the far right political group in which they are members" _Five of them! And there names are public knowledge! This is more than I could have hoped for! _The report finishes and I scribble down the last few details of my experiment in the Death Note.

Allen Charlesworth  
Drowns  
Swims out to the middle of the Antarctic and gets cramp. Sinks and drowns. October 2nd 2008, 14:00.

Derek Charlesworth  
Suicide  
Grabs a gun off of one of the officers guarding him and shoots himself in the head. October 2nd 2008, 14:00.

Steve Prol  
Heart attack  
Cuts his own wrist and writes "I'm sorry" on the floor before suffering a fatal heart attack. October 2nd 2008, 14:00.

Chester Peters  
Starvation  
October 2nd 2008, 14:00.

Mark Thornton  
Heart attack  
Writes a note confessing to the murders of Jack The Ripper then suffers a fatal heart attack. October 2nd 2008, 14:00.

"You know those deaths won't get put down to coincidence right?" Ryuk chimes from behind me. I give a dismissive laugh and then smile "I know. In fact, I'm counting on it." I then hear Ryuk chuckle. "I've always said that humans are fun"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: October 17, 2008**

It took over two weeks for the details of the deaths to be made public knowledge. I had done what anyone who read the rules of the Death Note would have done; tested them. The results of my experiment were finally in and my lab rats had done exactly what I had hypothesised. The first man, Allen Charlesworth simply died where he was after suffering a heart attack. The rules of the Death Note state that it has to be possible for that particular human to die in that way. Allen Charlesworth hadn't been capable of swimming to the middle of the Atlantic so he had simply suffered a heart attack. The same was true of Mark Thornton but for a different reason. Not in a million years would he have truly believed that he committed the murders of Jack The Ripper so he didn't write any suicide note stating that he did. The death I was really interested in was that of Chester Peters because I wanted to see what would happen if I wrote starvation as the cause of death. The answer: nothing. Heart attack, yet again. There was no possible way that he could have starved in the time available before his timetabled death so when the time came he suffered the familiar heart attack. The deaths that did work were those of Derek Charlesworth and Steve Grol. Derek was successfully able to grab a gun off one of the guards that were with him at the time and shot himself in the head, dying instantly, exactly at two o'clock. Steve was able to break a piece of metal off of his bed before slitting his wrist and scrawling the message I had instructed him to write, in the Death Note, in his own blood on the floor of his cell. I had now figured out the extents of what the cause of death could be but one part of this intrigued me more than the others and it had given me an idea. The key was the timing.

Later that night I had entered five more names into the Death Note just as I had every day since the experiment, each one dying of a heart attack. This was intentional. _Come on. Surely they've made the connection by now. _Just then the TV caught my intention. "We now interrupt this broadcast for a special announcement." _Special announcement? _ The screen then flickered and changed to a white screen with a black symbol in the middle. 'L'. _Yes! He's finally here! _The voice then came through the speakers. It had two parts to it; an overriding nasally high part and a low pitched part. "Kira, this is L." _Kira? Is that what they're calling me?_ I let out a small chuckle and the familiar cocky smile reappears. _What a fine name for the world's newest God! "_Kira, as you've probably realised I have been called in to stop you. Yes we've figured out that the recent deaths are not accidental and it is in fact you who is killing criminals."

"Come and get me then L" I say to the TV.

"As you probably already know, the people on the internet also connected the dots and are now hailing you as a saviour and a punisher of evil."

"What?" I mumble. _There are others who know about me? I didn't think that anyone would figure it out this fast apart from L. Then again if dozens of criminals mysteriously die of heart attacks people are bound to start flinging conspiracy theories about. _I chuckle again._ And you've just proved them right L._ "L, you fool! You've done exactly what I thought you would!"

"Kira." The TV continued. "We are pursuing you as we speak. I don't expect it will be long until we find you. For now, goodbye." The TV returned to the soap it was previously showing and I sat in my chair enjoying the message I had just seen. _Right, so he knows that these deaths are murders. That's it though. He doesn't know how I'm killing them or why or even if I'm working alone._ I pull over my laptop, boot it up, search for 'Kira' and stare in wonder at my army of followers. Sites with members proclaiming their undying loyalty to the bringer of justice, pages documenting each kill they think I've made (although not wholly accurate) and some that even claim to be the official site to join if you wish to worship Kira. My fame had grown rapidly and it would get even stronger now that L had confirmed that I am indeed real. "This is all going to plan" I whisper as the shadows thrown by the window cover my face.

**April 29, 2009**

In the 6 months after L's message I kept a low profile. I attended school as usual and lived a normal life just like every other 15 year old but I killed a criminal or two every so often just to let my followers know that I was not gone. My genius truly shone when I was able to implement my plan. During this temporary exile I had to do more than just cause a prisoner to die every so often to let people know that I was still around. I had to do something bigger, something obvious. Every month I sat on my bed as usual with the Death Note and killed a criminal. These particular criminals weren't regular perpetrators though, they were chosen especially because they had a special purpose. I had decided that I would exploit the cause of death rules for these deaths so when I sat on my bed with my pen in hand I had a list of ten criminals beside me. These ten criminals all had schizophrenia.

Michael Thorpe  
Heart attack  
Writes a suicide note with any available liquid on any available surface stating the following; "Kira is strong. I am his tribute"

Normally this wouldn't work because of the rules of the Death Note but I had chosen criminals that suffered from schizophrenia especially. See, a schizophrenic is prone to hearing voices, confusing their words with others and vice versa, fantasizing and believing ludicrous things such as being another person or being able to interact with someone they have never seen or met. Therefore, a healthy man would never believe the message I tell them to write but it's plausible that a schizophrenic would. All these criminals were caught after L's message too so they had to have had some comprehension of who I was. If they had never heard of Kira before it wouldn't be plausible that they would believe what I told them to write. This is how I was able to spread my message, letting everyone know that Kira is alive and well while also giving L something to think about. My greatest plan would be a long time coming yet but its glory would outshine everything that had preceded it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: April 30, 2009**

"Hey, S?" Ryuk asked as he sat on my bed.

"Yes, Ryuk?"

"Do you have any apples?"

"Apples?"

"Yes, you see, apples to me are like what caffeine and alcohol are to humans. If I don't have one for a while I start getting withdrawal symptoms."

"I'm not sure, we might have some downstairs" I reply.

"Can you go and get me some?" He asks coyly.

"Sure." I sigh, and I make my way downstairs. _Shinigami sure are weird. They're not evil and destructive like you'd imagine. They're basically like us to be honest._ I get to the kitchen and spy the fruit bowl. Thankfully there are about five apples in there so I take the lot. As I get back to the room Ryuk reaches out and grabs one of them and takes a big bite, making a satisfied moaning sound as he does. He finishes it and noisily wipes his mouth. "S?"

"What now Ryuk?"

"Since you've treated me I will treat you."

"What? Treat me?"

"Well…it depends what your definition of a treat is" and the familiar malicious grin returns. "You see, I'm obligated to tell you about this. There's a sort of trade you can make now that you own the Death Note."

"A…trade?" I reply tentatively.

"Yes. This trade will enable you to gain the eyes of a shinigami." He's now smiling and his large mouth parts to reveal two rows of sharp, pointy teeth. The light in the room seems to dim and his eyes glow a bright red. He looks more menacing than I've seen him since the day I met him. "Shinigami eyes? Why would I want them?"

"Because with the eyes of a shinigami you'll be able to see the name and the remaining lifespan of anybody and everybody you look at." The weight of these words hit me at once. Just thinking of the possibilities gets me excited and I decide at once to take the deal. _Wait. _"You said this was a trade. What do I have to give you in return?"

"Damn. I was hoping you'd rush into it. I wanted to see the look on your face when you found out what you traded. This deal requires you to give up half of your remaining life"

"Half?" I almost shout at him.

"Think of it though. Half of your life for the power of a shinigami."

"Hmmm…Ryuk…?"

"Yes?" he asks hopefully, still smiling.

"I think that I'll have to decline your offer." I see the look on his face. "For now. If I'm going to create this new world I need as much time as possible to do it in."

"Well the deal is always open to you. I just had to let you know about it."

**September 30, 2009**

A year had passed since I first received the Death Note and things had been going exactly to plan. At 16 I had a long life of ruling the new world ahead of me. All I needed to do was create it. I had been following the usual steps; systematically killing criminals, every so often sending out a message by manipulating one of them and all the while smoothing out the details of my ultimate plan. _"Shouldn't be too long until we catch you." Empty threats L. That's all you ever could produce, even all those years ago. I still remember how you were with me. I still remember the day that we parted ways._

**December 13, 2005**

We had been brought up under this roof most of our lives and for one special reason; we were different. Gifted. The orphanage was our home. The only one we had ever known. I had just gotten up that morning and ventured downstairs for breakfast when I spotted my friends sat at the table we usually sat on. I grabbed some cereal and joined them. What I loved about each of them was that each one had their own distinctive ways and yet we all got on together like a family. L would sit with his knees up on the seat, usually eating something sweet while thinking or muttering to one of us. He always spoke so quietly but his voice travelled a distance and reeked of authority. Near would usually have some kind of puzzle on the table in front of him and would sit for ages building elaborate structures. Then there was Mellow. Mellow just sat there looking disheartened, usually eating chocolate and even though they got on there was always some kind of icy atmosphere between him and Near. I was the fourth member of the group and often felt like I was a kind of overseer. I was the same age as L, we were both older than Near and Mellow. Even though we were friends none of us knew the others real names. L, S, Near and Mellow. That's what everyone knew us as and in that order. I guess we did have a kind of hierarchy; one that I despised. Even though I was above Near and Mellow I was always viewed as being L's second in command. He was supposedly destined for greatness and Watari had no qualms about revealing that L was his favourite. I listened to the conversation that was going on as I sat down. Well, it was more L going over something than a conversation. It seemed that the three of them were going to speak to Watari later about something but the conversation stopped shortly after I sat down. L tucked into a small bowl of ice cream and Near went back to working on some kind of jigsaw. Mellow just sat there and stared into space. I never did find out what they were talking about but I got a pretty good idea later that day.

I was sitting in my room when I heard the knock on the door. I opened it saw another of the orphanages inhabitants standing outside. "S, Watari wants to see you."

"Ok, thanks." I walked out of the door and along the corridors. _What could he want? Does it have something to do with what the others were talking about earlier?_ I entered Watari's office and saw the other three sat in chairs around the room. "Watari, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes S, I'm sorry to tell you that we have decided that your stay here is at an end."

"What? Why?"

"We just don't think you have the right team spirit" said L from a chair in the corner, hardly looking up as he spoke. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This orphanage had been my home and now L had worked against me to turf me from it. He had betrayed me and by doing this he had become dead to me. I left the orphanage later that day. They had arranged for a family to take me in and they did so. I was a normal child for once, something I hated being.

**September 30, 2009**

A sharp sound dragged me back from my memory and I whirled around to discover it was Ryuk biting into an apple yet again. _He sure is noisy with those things._ Remembering that night from all those years ago had made all the feelings of betrayal and anger come flooding back. _It's time to start implementing my plan._ Later that night I wrote yet another name in the Death Note; a criminal that had committed a million pound robbery in the local area and had yet to be caught. I thanked myself for not writing his name in the notebook sooner. With so many more horrendous crimes being committed he seemed like a small catch so I didn't bother with him. Now was his time though.

Ricky Simmons  
Crushed by a train  
Leaves all the money that is left from his big heist under one of the seats on Platform 1 at 11:00 on October 7 and then waits for a train. As the train is pulling into the station he trips and goes under the wheels. Dies at 11:02.

This is perfect. I'll be able to gain enough money to pay for whatever may come my way. I'll have to get it converted of course, if my final plan is to be carried out. I'm sure if I can get a good enough exchange rate it won't eat into it too much. Now I just have to wait a week. That'll give me time to get everything prepared. Then I'm coming for you.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: October 7, 2009**

_This is the day that my plan gets underway. I am already a god but today the road to become the equivalent of Zeus, the king of the gods, is stretching before me. _I sit in my chair in my room and glance at my watch. 10:19 now. _Not long to go now. I'll set off in 10 minutes._ I put on my hat and wrap a scarf around the bottom half of my face. I finish the look with a long trench coat that stretches down to my feet and then head for the door. Even my own mother wouldn't recognise me in this getup. It's raining as I leave so I walk with my head stooped and my hands in my coat pockets and I watch my feet with every step they take, not bothering to look up. I plan out every step of what I'm about to do in my head as I count the steps I take. As I reach the train station I make my way past people with suitcases and bags towards platform 1. They have no clue what's about to happen in this very station. I know this place by heart so it takes less than a minute to get there and I sit down on one of the yellow seats that are situated in the middle of the platform. There are only 3 seats on the platform and I take one of only 2 that are free because an old woman with some shopping bags is sitting on the other one, leaning forward on her walking stick in front of her. I check my watch and see that it is 10:59; a minute before Simmons is due to place the money under the seat next to mine. Just then a man in a suit sits down on the seat next to me; the only seat that's empty. I panic and wonder how it could affect my plans but just as I am about to take a leap of faith and try and persuade him to move I see him. Simmons has just come through the door to the platform and is walking towards the seats. In the same moment I see this, the man next to me reaches into his pocket and takes out his phone which is vibrating. He stands up and walks away to get some privacy. _The Death Note at work _I think and breathe a sigh of relief. I sit up straight and don't even look at Simmons as he places the rucksack under the empty seat and goes to stand at the edge of the platform. Picking up the rucksack I walk quickly to the door without looking back. The automatic doors slide open and I step halfway inside them. Then I stop. I step back onto the platform and lean against the wall as I stare at Simmons. The train is close now and I see him bend down to tie his shoe. Then everything seems to go in slow motion and I witness one of my kills for the first time. Simmons attempts to stand up but loses balance and topples forward onto the rails. Before he can even think about getting back up the train hurtles past and the sound is horrendous. The whole incident takes less than 2 seconds and the people stood near the spot where he fell barely have time to comprehend what is happening before they are screaming and are covered in the man's blood. I turn away and walk out of the station with a smile on my face.

I walk down the streets of the city centre with hundreds of thousands of pounds on my back. There's no need for me to wonder what I'm going to spend it on as I already know. _The flight, the hotel, the excursion and the bribes if need be._ I check around me to see if anyone is following and then, after seeing I am the only one around, kneel down and unzip the rucksack. It'd be too dangerous to do this at home in case anybody sees so I do it here instead. I see that the rucksack is filled with £100 notes in bundles of ten thousand. The large rucksack can hardly hold them and I count ninety-four bundles in total with a few loose notes in the bottom. It is fairly easy to count them in this fashion and I work it out to be nine-hundred and forty thousand six-hundred pound; he had hardly spent any of it at all since he had committed the crime. I am almost a million pounds richer at this moment and I only need a small fraction of it to finance my scheme so I let my mind wander. The usual ideas spring to mind; houses, cars, holidays etc. but that can all wait until I am the supreme ruler of the human race. Just a matter of time now.

As I get home the rucksack is weighing heavy on my shoulders; mostly because it could hardly contain the money but also because I was also carrying the worry of being caught. It was then that I decided that if my family were to discover this then they would have to be sacrificed for the greater good. My Death Note leans against my chest in the inside pocket of my trench coat and I manage to sneak upstairs and get changed before anyone sees me. I don't want my family being able to connect me to the crime. I was wise to be this cautious. I settle down on my bed as Ryuk sits in my chair, apparently amused by the events that occurred today. Then again, so was I. I had executed the perfect crime, or so I thought. Just then the TV flashed into life and the unmistakable sound of L's masked voice came through the speakers. "Hello, Kira. Congratulations on your big win today. Must have been quite a fortune you…inherited…today." _He knows? "_Allow me to tell you what I have deduced so far, Kira. I know that you can kill people from a distance, without lifting a finger in fact. I know you are in England somewhere, in fact I know which city you are in, I could even take a good guess at what area of that city you live in. You gave that much away by the people you killed in your early days. I also know that today you visited the train station and killed the criminal Ricky Simmons and made it look like an accident." I run out of my room and can hear that the same message was being listened to downstairs. _L's probably broadcasting this all over the city. Damn him! _I was now between the two TVs; one in my bedroom and one downstairs, giving the effect of L being all around me in surround sound. "We are closing in on you Kira. You have been hidden for quite a while now but that stunt you pulled today revealed you to us once again. I will say goodbye for now but I will say this: If you can kill anybody you want, I expect to be dead by the morning. Farewell, Kira." _The arrogance! He dares to call me out and challenge my power! _I march back into my bedroom and see that Ryuk is sniggering to himself. "Well, that was interesting" he says to me, smiling. "I didn't think we were going to hear from him again, it's been so long."

"Well don't worry Ryuk. I expect you'll be hearing a lot more from him in the coming weeks, or months, or years. Depends how long he plays his cowardly game and keeps hidden." _I'm coming for you L. Once I take over, my army will dispose of you_. Ryuk seems pleased to hear this and throwsan apple into the air, catching it in his mouth before eating it and swallowing it with a loud gulp. "Just a reminder, the deal for the eyes is still open to you. Anytime you want them you only need to ask. Oh and I forgot to tell you…" _Again? _

"What this time Ryuk?" I ask, trying not to be short-fused. He looks me dead in the eye.

"Well, it's a couple of things really. First of all, when a human uses a Death Note they can go to neither heaven nor hell when they die."

"Ok. And secondly?" At this point his eyes seem to flash red.

"When you do die, it'll be me that writes your name down in my Death Note." And I see him move his fingers next to his leg like a cowboy about to draw his gun. Strapped to his leg is another Death Note.

"I see. Just don't cut my reign short when you do decide to write my name down." I say, and we both share a grin.

I settle down in my chair and turn on the news. I kill ten criminals and then set the Death Note down and bid Ryuk goodnight. When I dream I dream of my victory in Rome. I dream of the seat of power that was once occupied by an irrelevant, outdated organisation and the army I will amass once I become ruler. _King? Lord? Emperor? Not quite decided on my title yet. All I know is that I am a leader and the real messiah_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: February 19, 2010**

Ever since L's message I'd been laying low again but my work didn't stop, it was just more localised. I had decided that my school needed cleansing and I was the one wielding the bleach. I was coming towards the end of my time in secondary school by this point and although I had enjoyed parts of it, a lot of it had been hell. My master plan was still simmering away in the background but first I had to take care of a few things here and I knew exactly where to start. I had already killed off one vile person from this school and ever since the revelation that Kira was indeed real, the students had been feeling even more on edge, wondering if it was actually someone at the school. No one suspected me though. Why would they? I sat there and got on with my work, talked to my friends, forgot to give in homework; I was a typical student. I would have felt like one too if it wasn't for Ryuk standing behind me in every class.

It was round about three months until our exams when I started the systematic murders of everyone who had ever wronged me. The criminals I killed were moral acts of vengeance. This was entirely personal. As I walked around the school I made a mental note of everyone who had ever hurt me and when I could I wrote their name down in the Death Note. The first one I wrote actually set the trend for the rest because I felt that suicide was actually pretty interesting and it caused the most controversy. If a student dies by accident it's a tragic loss but if they commit suicide there are questions over their health, their sanity and what could have caused it. Plus, it seemed kind of poetic; the irony being that they took their own lives but I was the one that executed them. Also, and I did think it was rather weird thinking this, but seeing a body hang from a noose has a certain feel to it that you don't get from other deaths. It's so iconic.

Charlie Osborne  
Suicide  
Hangs himself with a belt in his bedroom.

That was the first one. Sure enough, the next day Charlie was found hanging in his room by his parents and we all attended an assembly about it. I had to keep myself from smiling the whole way through it. The next one was a guy who had insulted me and annoyed me the whole time I had had the misfortune of knowing him.

Jamie Galloway  
Suicide  
Hangs himself with a belt in his bedroom.

After the next two or three people began connecting the dots and realised that although teen suicides often came in bundles rather than one or two, Kira was behind this. No doubt L had taken note of this too and had narrowed down his search to students, staff and ex members of the school. Then again he probably would have had the idea that Kira was doing this to make him think exactly that so he may have ruled that option out completely. If he had he was a fool. Students continued to drop like flies. The school had originally had fifteen hundred students but now at least twenty of them were dead; all found hanging. All of the people who had made me experience the kind of pain I had only felt at that school were dead. I then decided to widen the net. Chavs, cheats, yobs, people who sleep around and have no respect for themselves or other people. They all became part of the list. I was the proverbial snowball, rolling faster and faster, the more people I killed the larger my range got. I was a madman, abusing the power of the Death Note. I had begun killing people for the most mundane things such as whining about their break ups, being selfish, being rude, being offensive etc. It was thent hat I had to have a word with myself. _Pull it together S. This isn't you; you kill to make the world a better place. Although those people are annoying their small fish compared to the major criminals. For god's sake, you wrote a girl's name in the Death Note the other day because you saw her on TV when she was acting like a little brat, complaining that he millionaire parents had bought her the wrong car! Don't let your personal pet peeves get in the way of business._ From then on I was focused. I had overcome a trial that had been put before me. I was truly worthy of worship.

**September 2011**

It had been over a year since I conquered my demons and fully focused on the task at hand. I was now 18. This is what I had been waiting for. I was finally officially an adult although my wisdom, maturity and intellect were way beyond my years. I could begin what I had wanted to do all this time. I had avoided temptation all this time and had every bit of my 'winnings' still with me. I hadn't dared put it in the bank. Just less than a million pound going into an account all at once would have alerted L to my identity in a second. It had been hard hiding it for a year and a half but I had managed it by switching the location of the money every so often. At the moment it was under my bed in a box. This was planned out. I wanted the money there at this precise time because I wanted it with me when I sat out on my journey. My first step was to tell my family I was going travelling. I hadn't bothered applying to university and I had dropped out of college after a year. After all, what job could I get that's better than ruler of the new world?

I ventured downstairs and found my family in the living room watching TV. "Guys?"

"Yes S?" they answered, looking round at me.

"I just wanted to tell you I'll be going travelling for a bit in about two weeks. I've sorted out the money and I won't be alone." They seemed surprised at this.

"Well, I guess you're an adult now and if you're paying for it and it's what you want to do then go for it son" said my dad. I just nodded, smiled and headed back upstairs. Once I claim my rightful place they will come and live with me. Ryuk greeted me as I walked back into my room. He had been fairly quite over the past year or so. Then again I guess I had been a bit boring but I had kept him stocked up with apples and I talked to him all of the time so he should be grateful. I also got the strange feeling that he kind of enjoyed my company. "Hey Ryuk."

"Hi. So what's the plan then?"

"You know the plan Ryuk. I've gone over it so many times"

"Yeah but what's the next step?" he asked sounding genuinely excited.

"Next we book the taxi" I tell him.

"Just make sure it's got plenty of room. I could barely fit in your dad's car that time and I'm not flying alongside you all that way."

"You know, I'm glad you're coming with me Ryuk. I don't think it'd be as much fun without you. Plus it'd be a lot lonelier." I say to him and this time I give him a genuinely happy smile.

"Well, I don't think the Death Note could have gone to a more deserving person." he replies.

The next day I book the taxi and then take it easy. _L's probably wondering why I've been inactive for so long,_ I snicker to myself. The Death Note had hardly been touched recently but it would get its fair share of use soon. I had no idea just how many names I had written down at that time. Hundreds? Thousands? I couldn't be bothered to count. I actually enjoyed the last fortnight at home. I didn't use the Death Note at all and just acted like a normal guy. In fact, it was the only time in my life I'd enjoyed being normal. It was like being on holiday from work.

**October 13, 2010**

The day I would embark on my great adventure. I felt like Sir Walter Raleigh, beginning a journey to a land that I had never visited before in my life. Next stop: Heathrow. After saying goodbye to my family I sit in the back of the taxi with Ryuk comically sat next to me with his legs almost up to his face. I couldn't talk to him in this situation because of the driver but I did manage to whisper a few things to him. Of course, he could talk all he wanted because only the people who had touched the Death Note could see and hear him so he babbled on for the whole trip. It took about five hours to get to London and by midday I was stood in the queue for tickets. I would have usually bought the tickets beforehand but I couldn't risk anything at all connecting me with Kira. I got to the desk and was greeted by an overly cheery assistant. "Good afternoon, how can I help you this morning" she said with the biggest smile.

"One ticket to Rome please." I reply, trying to match her sunny disposition, but it was impossible. The woman was just a bouncing ball of happiness. "Certainly." she beamed back and started to type away on the computer. I paid her with a few notes that I kept in my wallet. The rest was in a secure box in my luggage. Sitting on the chairs in the airport I'm able to think of everything I had achieved. It's still weird to think that everyone who walks past me or sits next to me or stands behind me in a queue, is unaware that I am Kira._ I'm like an assassin blending in with a crowd, hiding in plain sight. _When I board the plane I take my seat and Ryuk ends up sitting next to me, purely out of luck because there are around six spare seats on the plane. He actually got the window seat so I wasn't too pleased with that but nothing could spoil my day now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: October 14, 2011**

This was it. I was finally in Rome; the city where I would at last triumph over all those who had opposed me. I was nearing the end, or so I thought. In my hotel room I lay on my four poster bed and admired the fact that I was finally here. I had planned this for years and many people had died in the pursuit of this dream but now all the planning had come to a head and all those lives were sacrificed for the greater good, as if I needed to justify why they had died anyway. I walk to the window and admired the country before me. Italy, in all its glory. I had long admired Italy and especially Rome. Out of all the cities I had dreamt about visiting this was the pinnacle. How fitting that it should be the central hub of my new world. As I look out of the window I can see a few of the landmarks. _Business can wait. What's the point in coming to Rome without taking in the culture?_

The next day I awake and get ready. I eat some breakfast and then head back up to my room and unpack the two things that would be most vital in the coming weeks. I had brought with me coloured contact lenses and hair dye. It took me a little while to dye my hair and after that I painfully applied the contacts for the first time. I had turned my eyes green and my hair black. I also had a little bit of stubble at this time; even I didn't recognise the person staring back at me in the mirror. I dressed myself in silver suit trousers and a white short open at the top and headed out of the door. I had studied Rome for years as a hobby and was so confident in my familiarity with the streets that I didn't bother taking a map with me. I knew off by heart where the main attractions were. I knew where I wanted to visit first; the place everyone goes first. I set off for Il Colosseo. Upon reaching the Colosseum I just stood and marvelled at its beauty. _To think that this amphitheatre held gladiator fights and Christians being sentenced to death. Look at it now. _As I stare up at its magnificent architecture I notice a figure out of the corner of my eye and my heart skips a beat. L. _He's here? No! How did he find me? Wait a minute, he's not coming over and it doesn't look as though he's even recognised me. He must have been tipped off that Kira might be in Rome, but who told him?_ I decide to not let this ruin my day and continue to take the usual track around Rome, taking in all the sights; the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the broken aqueduct etc. With my mind swimming with cultural and historical wonder I decide to head to the last big attraction; the city inside a city.

I stand outside the walls of Vatican City and a smile that can only be described as evil spreads across my face. "Armageddon" I whisper to the imposing walls surrounding the smallest country in the world and I walk away.

Back inside my hotel room Ryuk lies on top of the four poster bed and leans his head over the side to see me as I lay down. "So…L's back."

"Yes I know L's back!" I shout at him and then apologise immediately. "Sorry Ryuk. I just didn't expect him to be here."

"I understand" he replies. I think me and Ryuk understand each other. It's like I see him as another human and he sees me as another shinigami.

"Well at least it was a good day out right Ryuk?"

"I guess so. Although a lot of those things just looked like old buildings to me."

"Hmm well I guess you've got to be human to truly appreciate the significance of them. Anyway, I'll see you in the morning. Tomorrow we get down to business." I tell him. He bids me goodnight and we both drift off to sleep.

When I wake up I get out of bed and prepare my things. I look for Ryuk but see that he is close to me as always. I put on a full black suit this time with a red tie. I like symbolism. The black is for the gaping hole that needs to be filled and the red symbolises the blood that needs to be spilled in order for this to happen. What annoyed me about this whole plan was that there was no quick solution to it. I couldn't just use the Death Note anytime I wanted; I had to really work for this. My plan: infiltrate Vatican City. I calmly eat my breakfast like a normal tourist and walk out of the hotel into the Roman heat. Upon reaching Vatican City I approach the two Swiss guards that stand between me entering the tiny country. I tell Ryuk to hide and approach them. "Ciao signori!" I call to them and they look up, still stood to attention. I engage in mindless chit chat for a while pretending to be a lost tourist and build up a good report with them. "Thank you for the directions" I tell them. "You know, my friends aren't going to believe I had a chat with two Swiss guards today. I would love to get your names if I could." I never in a million years thought that they would fall for this but they trusted me and what harm could giving someone your name do? I get them to write down their names on a piece of paper I pull out of my pocket and walk away cheerily. I wait with Ryuk for 40 seconds and then walk back to where they were to find them both dead. "So that's why you told me to hide, because you didn't want them seeing me. You impress me more every day."

"Thanks Ryuk but let's get going before these two are discovered."

"Good idea" he replies and floats inside behind me.

_I'm inside._ I quickly find my way around and find myself at St. Peter's Basilica. My emotions are torn whenever I look at this building. The building itself is magnificent but it is wasted. _The Pope may as well buy a Rolex watch and use it for sun worship. _I carry on and find the Sistine Chapel not too far away. _Now I have a basic idea of where I am. If I'm right…_ And then I see it; the building that houses the leader of millions of people around the world; the papal apartments. This area isn't open to the public so I have to be bold and brash. I march through the front doors and hold my head up high. At least three people pass me and don't give me a second look because of my confidence and the way I am dressed. When there is no one around I stop and think but just as I'm trying to figure out what I will do next I see a door that must be the entrance to the Pope's room.

Upon entering I listen out for sounds that may alert me to any presence within the room. The apartment is odd; it's split up into separate rooms and one half of it is a chapel. I hear no signs of life and continue on into the apartment. _My skill has got me this far. Don't blow it now._ The apartment seems empty until I hear quiet whispering in the chapel on the left hand side of the apartment. I calm myself and step into the doorway of the chapel. I must have waited at least a minute but finally I see the face of the Pope look up at me. He is confused at first because only select members of the Vatican are granted access to the papal apartments and I was obviously not one of them. "Your Holiness, forgive me but I am a priest from England. I arranged a meeting with you some time ago but when I came today I had no idea where to go so I sought you out directly. I am sorry if I disturbed you." Surprisingly, the Holy Father didn't seem too worried and actually seemed to laugh it off. He also spoke perfect English as it is one of the prerequisites to be fluent in English, Italian, German and Spanish if one is to become Pope. All this time I can feel Ryuk behind me. This part is essential. I sit down for an audience with the Pope; something I never thought I'd be doing, and we talk for roughly ten minutes before I announce that I sadly have to leave. _This is the crucial part. _As is customary, he holds out his hand for me to kiss as a sign of respect. My hand slides out of my pocket, palming a small piece of the Death Note. Just as I am about to touch his hand with mine I move the paper up to my fingers and I feel it connect with his skin. He watches me kiss his hand and follows my head up only to see Ryuk stood directly behind me. _This is it! I've done it! _

The leader of the Catholic faith steps back, mouth open as he takes in the sight before him. He now realises that I am not a priest and the look on his face is priceless. I stand in my black suit and red tie glaring at him with piercing green eyes and jet black hair while Ryuk, a god of death, stands behind me, towering over everything in the room. I must have looked like the Devil himself to him. He takes a seat, mouth still agasp. "Now, listen to me, old man" I tell him. "My name is Gabriel Peters." I had to give him a fake name. "You are going to continue life as normal. For all intents and purposes you are still the leader of Catholicism the world over but I am your leader now. Your god doesn't exist. What you see behind me is a god. And what you see in front of you, I am your _new_ god. If anyone asks who I am, I am your new advisor."

"I understand" he manages, still shaking from the sight of Ryuk appearing before him.

Later that night I am back at my hotel room. I was confident staying here for the time being. That old fool wasn't going to say anything to anyone. It was only now that I was able to think about what I had just done. I had just single-handedly gained control of one of the world's oldest and most powerful organisations. My joy was only dampened slightly by what happened next. Just like before the single letter L flashed onto the TV screen and the familiar voice rang out. "Hello Kira, this is L. People of Rome, I am sure you have heard about the mass murderer Kira by now. Don't be alarmed but he is with you this very moment. And so am I. Kira, I was informed that you may have travelled here and since I had already deduced it myself I felt certain that this was the case. I followed you here and although I had a pretty good idea of who you were at first, I must admit the trail has gone cold. But don't think that you are off the hook yet. I am still 72% sure that you are who I suspect you are. A brash move revealed you to me last time; it's just a matter of time before you make another one." _Oh you have no idea, L! _"Once again, goodbye Kira." The message ended and the screen turned back to what was on before, but not before I saw the L flicker for a fraction of a second and a faint S appear behind it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: January 23, 2012**

For the next couple of months after L's message I was worried that he was close and about to snare me in his trap at any moment. I didn't let that bother me though and I kept up my façade as Gabriel Peters. I kept my distance from the media during televised events with the pope, hiding in the background or sometimes in plain view. During one televised mass which was sent out to dozens of countries from within the Vatican I donned red garments and a hat to disguise myself as a cardinal. My green eyes and black hair along with this disguise helped me to be unrecognisable among the crowd, like a snake hidden amongst the animals, waiting for its chance to strike venom into the ones who surround it. During my time in the Vatican I had found my way around quite nicely and everyone inside the city knew that I had been appointed to a high office by the pope himself so I was denied access to nowhere. I had complete faith, if you excuse the pun, that the pope would not reveal my true identity for I had shattered his faith by arriving unannounced with a real god in tow. If he was to tell anyone they would declare him mad and even if they did believe him he would have single-handedly brought down his own religion by revealing that Ryuk was actually a god and that I was his owner. Either way he was doomed, so he had no choice but to obey me.

Today I had joined his holiness in his apartment to discuss the future of the Catholic faith, although there wasn't really anything to discuss. We agreed that power would slowly be handed over to me and to make it official I would be elected as the next pope at the upcoming "_Il conclave." _We sat in his living room, complete opposites to each other. He was dressed in his usual white robes and his short white hair lay flat on his head. I on the other hand was sat in my black suit and red tie with my black hair ruffled and almost covering my eyes. It was like God versus Lucifer, except I was the former. I had picked up a bit of the language while there and I had learnt some before but still not enough to hold a conversation so we spoke in English the whole time, which suited me well because apart from the other papal candidates there was no real urgency for anyone to learn languages other than their native tongue and Latin. The pope and I would usually hold meetings long into the night, discussing his upcoming schedule and how I wanted it adapted to suit my purposes. Sometimes it would just be a mention in one of his addresses to the people about how he would be setting down a new law or sometimes it would be an appearance at an event he would normally not attend to show support. Slowly but surely the people came to realise that the stance the church had adopted for so long was changing, being radicalised. I sat behind the scenes in wonder of my accomplishments and how I could manipulate millions with a simple jot of a note. I used the Death Note sparingly during this time but still more often than a normal human being would. I spent my time with it killing off those who threatened my rule. One cardinal by the name of Angelo Di Santi was, for a while, the front runner in the race to succeed the current pope. Although the election was to be rigged he held the vast majority and it would appear odd if the vote went my way when he had such a grip on popularity polls and within the priesthood.

Angelo Di Santi  
Heart Attack  
Writes a note in his diary stating: "the next pope should be someone close to his current holiness, someone who he trusts as a right hand man." And then dies in the middle of the night.

The message that he wrote was in compliance with the rules of the Death Note because it is ambiguous enough to be meaningless and common sense for a cardinal to think that, but also worded in a way that if anyone thought about it, would come to the conclusion that he meant for it to be myself. This kill was one of a series that I had to make look unrelated because if anyone linked them together they would certainly suspect someone in my position.

When the pope and I spoke of the "upcoming il conclave" we had no idea when it would actually arrive. Or at least one of us didn't. Il conclave is performed after a pope has died. The cardinals gather together in a locked room until they have reached a decision on who the next pope will be, with four of them being front runners for the papacy. These are called the preferiti. All of them vote until there is an overall consensus on one of the candidates. If this is reached then white smoke is emitted from the chimney, announcing the new pope. If it is not then black smoke is released and they all vote again. The plan for rigging this election was simple but there was one flaw. The pope was still alive. After our meeting I went back to my appointed quarters and retrieved the death Note from the box in the desk. I open it and wrote the cause of death and the details of death in first

Stroke  
3 hours after falling asleep suffers fatal stroke and is found the next morning.

After doing this I put the nib of the pen on the paper above these two lines and pause for a minute to check if I'd prepared everything. After deciding I had I wrote down the name of the man who would bring me untold power.

Benedictine Casliazagi

Pope Benedictine would be dead by morning and I would take his place. Everything was in order and my path to become ruler officially was now spread out before me just waiting for me to walk it.

**January 27, 2012**

The day of Il conclave. The world's media had gathered outside the walls of Vatican City. Cameras were trained on the faces of reporters and also on the chimney that would belch the appropriate colour of smoke depending on the decision from inside the hallowed walls. Today was my day and after writing a name in the Death Note the previous night I was entirely prepared. I was not allowed inside the chamber in which Il conclave was conducted but I waited patiently outside. Inside the doors I could hear the conductor of the process begin to speak. After going through the regular ceremonial gibberish he finally got round to the vote. Each member wrote down the name of the one he wanted to gain the position of pope and placed it upon a silver platter, then dropped it into a box with a slit in it. The platter was so that no one could enter two votes. After this the host counted the votes. It was at this point that I was sent for. As I walked in all eyes were on me. I knew what had happened but I tried not to show it. As I got to the front the cardinal stood there beckoned me up to the area in which he had counted the votes. "Gabriel Peters, we have summoned you because of the result of Il conclave." I looked at him bewildered, trying to hide a smile. "It seems by some bizarre twist in circumstances that you have gained the majority of the vote, and have therefore…been elected as pope. However, we cannot allow this as the rules are very clear. In order to be elected to the papacy you must be at least 65 years of age, be fluent in the core languages and be a cardinal of impeccable quality." It was at this point that I called him. "Ryuk!"

The doors opened and Ryuk walked into the room to the chorus of gasps echoing around the hall. My plan had been simple. I had wrote the name of the conducting cardinal into my Death Note with the instructions to count the votes, call me into the room and tell me I had won. He would die the next day. The pieces of paper the cardinals had all wrote on were fashioned by me, having been torn from the Death note, meaning that Ryuk was visible to all who touched them. Again, I wrote that the cardinal would bring these with him. Now it was simple. "Gentlemen," I announce. "This result is not a fluke. It was destined to be because I willed it to be. My predecessor died because I commanded it to be so. For you see, I am the true god and the one you see stood next to me, he is a god of death, a shinigami. You will announce me as your new pope and declare that the old prerequisites for becoming pope are done away with. Now, if you would please burn the pieces of paper that the votes were written on." Stunned by my announcement the cardinal did just that. I pull out a mini TV transmitter from inside my breast pocket and lay it on the table. Outside, a young man with a microphone in his hand speaks into the camera. "Ladies and gentleman, we have our new pope."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: January 28, 2012**

It had worked. I was the new pope. I stood on the precipice of being the ruler of the entire world. The papacy is not the highest position it is possible to hold but it was a start, and it soon would be with me in office. I just had to take the right steps. Up until now I had had a plan but now that I was where I wanted to be I had every step planned out but I didn't know how to execute them yet. A minor hiccup though. I always found a way, just like I had found a way of keeping Kira fans optimistic. The steps leading me to this place hadn't involved massive usage of the Death Note but I still made sure to eliminate at least a couple of people a day now that I had gained my position as pope. After all, what's the point of being the head of a mass organisation that claims to do such good without actually making good on those claims? However, my victims were now localised. They were still criminals, no doubt about that, but I had concentrated my efforts to within my own establishment. Lately the accusations of victims of priests of this faith had come to a climax and I had long despised the perpetrators of these vile acts so they were now my victims. I spared no sympathy in causes of death easier. Humiliating, undignified and slow, torturous ways to pass from this world were dealt out to this particular batch of the unworthy. I revelled in the way that their deaths were reported. It was kind of like a game. I would kill one and wait to see how and when they were discovered, and by who.

I stood on the balcony of my apartment and looked over Vatican City and Rome; the city I had dreamt of living in for all those years. I was finally here, and not just as a visitor but as its ruler. The TV played behind me with bulletins and my press conference. My name had only been announced this morning and I had made my first television appearance. I had walked out onto the balcony on which the pope usually makes his speeches from, high above the crowd, dressed in my now signature black suit and red tie. The cameras were trained on me and catching my every movement, as I could see since a large screen had been erected showing me what a particular station was broadcasting to millions. My face filled the screen and my green eyes seemed to stare back at me in triumph. I could see the fire within my very soul and the passion that resided in me. I looked around at the hundreds of media representatives pointing cameras in my direction and I stepped onto a platform that had many microphones stood upon it, most of them hoping to get a soundbite from me and one of them simply to magnify my voice so that the crowd could hear me. I placed my hands on the podium and brushed my hair to one side with one finger so it didn't cover my eyes and then spoke into the microphones. "People of the world, this is an important and historic moment in world history. I am the youngest candidate to obtain the papacy because of new measures we have put in place." The crowd was in my hands. "Firstly, we have removed the previous prerequisite skill sets needed to apply for this position. Secondly, we have decided to opt for new blood, myself, because we need a long term leader. A strong leader. A passionate leader. A leader that can walk us into the future and still reign once we are there. We don't want a man who may pass away at any moment. Therefore I have been chosen. I am your future!" I feel a strong sense of pride and purpose swell inside me, almost making me break into joyful tears of pride and satisfaction. I stretch out my arms, revealing the purple lining of my suit and almost showing the inside pocket in which I keep my Death Note, and my expression portrays all of my emotions. The next time I speak I am almost shouting a message to the world. "Hear this! Under my leadership there will be no more evil! No more crime and no need for punishment! This is a new age!" The crowd cheers as I turn my back and walk away.

**January 29, 2012**

The next day went exactly as planned. Nothing happened. After revealing myself to the world, the L that I knew would have moved in as soon as possible to bring me to justice but there was no sign of him anywhere. I had left him impotent by doing exactly what I had planned to do; I had become L's superior. If he made a television appearance telling the world that the new pope was Kira, the killer of hundreds, a mass murderer wanted worldwide, he would be made a laughing stock of and millions of Catholics would have called for him to be off the case. Also, he had no proof whatsoever. I was miles ahead of him. He didn't even know how I killed. He couldn't know anything about the Death Note, no one knew. Also, unbeknownst to anyone, I now had two sets of fans. I had the millions of Catholics around the world and I also had my millions of Kira worshippers. Although, except for the individuals who were both, they didn't overlap and couldn't be told that they supported the same man. I had to plan out my next move carefully. I needed to spread my influence around the world, both as the pope and as Kira. I sat around my apartment in my casual clothes and relaxed for the day, thinking about how I would do this with the resources I have, until I was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was one of my aides. "Excuse me your holiness, I am sorry to disturb you but there is a girl wanting to see you. She says she is an old friend. We frisked her for weapons and she is only small anyway, so you are in no danger." I chuckled at this. _I'm the most dangerous man on the planet; of course I'm in no danger. _"Ok then send her in."

"Very well sir."

Five minutes later I hear a knock again. I open the door for the second time that day and see a petit girl flanked by two guards. I ask her to come in and she sits on one of the settees in the middle of the apartment. I offer her a drink, which she declines quite politely. I get one for myself and sit on the coffee table in front of her. I set down my drink and bring my face closer to hers. "Listen, I don't know who you are and I have never seen you in my entire life and yet you claim to be my friend. So who are you?" She sits with her hands crossed in her lap, wearing all black clothes. _A girl after my own heart. _She has a black ribbon in her blonde hair and she sits with her head down slightly. "Well, I am a big fan of yours. I have been for quite some time. My name is Misa."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: January 29, 2012**

"So why have you come here?" I ask the girl sitting in my living room.

"As I said, I'm a big fan." she replies, and I think about this answer.

"A fan of what? What is it you admire so much about me that youd come all the way here?" I ask, and she pulls something out from under her top. _A Death Note!_ _How did she get one of them? _I stare at it in shock and catch her eye. She sees my surprise and answers the question I was going to ask.

"I found it in my bedroom one day. When I picked it up I could see this monster in the corner of my room. I then learnt that it was a shinigami, a god of death." A cold chill seems to run between us both and I can sense Ryuk behind me as usual but I make sure to not try to give him away. I wanted to find out what this girl knew about me before jumping into anything.

"What is that?"

"It's the same thing that you have. The speech you made yesterday, when you spread your arms I caught the slightest glimpse. I wasn't too sure what it was but I had to make sure. If you were Kira I just had to meet you and now I have." she tells me. I reach behind my back and grasp my Death Note which is tucked into the back of my trousers. I pull it out and raise it in front of me. I consider my options and then extend my arm, offering her my Death Note. For some reason I feel I can trust her. She reaches out and gently touches it with one finger. I see her face and I know that she has looked up and seen the towering figure of Ryuk behind me, with his menacing grin that hardly ever leaves his face like he's hiding a secret that only he knows. If he wasn't my shinigami that smile would haunt me in my sleep. After regaining her composure, Misa holds out her Death Note and I grab it and take it from her. I don't even look up as I flick through the pages and see the names she has written. _Not half as many as me. _My eyes slowly move upward and catch site of her shinigami. Dressed in a faded white and looking slightly like a mummy it's as tall as has pretty much the same gait.

"Kira, this is Ren." says Misa.

**February 4, 2012**

Days pass and I learn more about Ren and how Misa obtaining the Death Note came to pass. Unlike me, she didn't just stumble across it. Ren had placed it in her room. _Why would she do this? Then again, why would a shinigami do anything?_ I put it down to random opportunism for a bit of fun but I never stop wondering if there was some ulterior motive.

Around the apartment Misa makes herself useful but other than that I never really see any use for her or why I should spare her. In the afternoon I take a stroll around the grounds and take my Death Note with me. I needed this time to think and come up with a plan. I needed power. _Sure I'm the pope but what good is that? I need something more. I need…I need people to have a reason to worship me._ That's when the idea hits me. I rush back to the apartment and begin to jot down ideas. The first stage begins in the square outside the balcony. I compile notes and figure out how I can pull this off and finally come up with a plan. _After this, word will spread and no one will be able to doubt my power._

**February 10, 2012**

My arrangements were in place. The plan was going to work. I had spread the word that I would be making an appearance again and as I walk onto the balcony with Misa, Ren and Ryuk I see that thousands have gathered. I had discussed my idea with them all the previous night and they seemed impressed. They agreed to what I had planned. That same night I took about twenty pages from each death note and ripped them up into the smallest pieces I could manage. The next step was to load them into confetti cannons and place them on the balcony. Standing on the balcony, I have the switch to activate them in my hand. However, that was the second part of this scheme. For the first, I address my congregation.

"People of Rome, those of you oversees viewing this on television, take heed of and remember what I am about to do." I check my watch. 14:08. "In two minutes, at ten past two here in Rome, three people will die. Unfortunately, they will be three of you standing here today. I am very disappointed to be losing such dedicated fans but sacrifices must be made to ensure the continuation of my faith." For the next minute we wait.

"Let's hope this works." whispers Ryuk in my ear.

"Don't worry, it's fool proof" I reply.

At ten past two the crowd looks around for a split second until screams are heard from those around the three who have died. It worked. This was a fairly ingenious plan if I do say so myself. In the time I had been pope I had gotten quite a bit of fan mail delivered. I had picked the ones that clearly stated that they attend every one of my speeches and wrote their names in the Death Note, specifying their time to die at precisely ten past. Now I had the crowd in fear and awe.

"My followers, these deaths were caused by me. I am sorry to tell you this but it's true. The god that you have believed in all these years is a lie." I can hear dissent from around the crowd. "I am your true god and I shall prove it to you. I shall reveal to you my servants, the angels who do my bidding when and if I command." I push the button in my hand and both cannons go off, showering the crowd in paper. The screams and yelling that follow are music to my ears for they signify that the crowd has in fact seen Ryuk and Ren behind me. This is where my rule really begins. To the crowd and to those watching at home, the cannons were just for show, but to those of us who knew, they were vital in revealing our shinigami to the world.

"People of the world," I now talk directly to the cameras. "You are in the presence of your true god! My assistants won't have shown up on your screens at home because they cannot be captured by cameras but take it from the people here today, the world has changed. And it's changed for the better." I turn to leave the balcony and my entourage follows. As I walk past one of my security team I give them a clear message.

"Stage three. Get it into the water."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

In my short time as pope I had achieved a lot. One of my most important achievements came just a handful of days after I gained my position and forced my way to the top of the food chain.

**January 31, 2012**

I set the Death Note on the table with Misa watching every move I made and opened it. I grabbed a pen and wrote down a name and a cause of death as well as some very detailed instructions for what should happen before the time of death.

Bruce Higgins  
Heart attack  
Sends experimental weapon 02958 to Rome via secure military transport. Dies 2 days later.

You see, Bruce Higgins was the chief military advisor to the President of the United States and through various sources I had learnt of a weapon being developed that was vital to my plans. I had been using the Death Note for spying purposes, controlling members of the armed forces and making them spy on my behalf. I was worried at first because the Death Note does say it has to be reasonable to think that a human would do what you are requesting of them in the details of the cause of death but of course, any human is capable of spying and it wasn't unreasonable to think that some of them would. It was perfect. My spies would scout the place, report back and die the same day, usually the next minute or so, before they could blab. No clue was left for the authorities to trace back to me.

I set down the Death Note and put it in a drawer. I stood up and passed Misa. She looked confused and I guessed that she hadn't done anything that inventive with her Death Note before. That was when I had decided to help her to do exactly that. She was a nice girl who just happened to have a Death Note but she didn't have the heart nor the strength it takes to truly master one. Later that day I told her my plan and she seemed willing to help. I would look even more impressive if I was seen to be the master of two shinigami instead of just one.

**February 10, 2012**

After my triumph on the balcony I sat in my armchair, thinking about exactly was happening at that moment in time. A couple of days after the weapon had been delivered I had taken all of my men, including the Swiss Guards to an empty space underneath the Vatican and told them that they were to be part of something special and they must swear allegiance to me in order to be included. I made them take an oath. To do this they had to put one hand on either side of a book and repeat what I told them. However, the book I used was in fact two books. Two notebooks. Mine and Misa's Death Notes. Each hand would touch one Death Note but of course they didn't know that they were holding. After the last man had completed his oath and stood back in line I shouted a command to the door behind me without turning my head or breaking eye contact with the men in front of me. The look of terror on the many faces was exquisite. The door had opened behind me, revealing Ryuk and Rem to the crowd of aghast onlookers. I think the only reason Rem played along with my games was because Misa wanted her to. She cared for Misa a lot and Misa cared for me. The two shinigami walked toward me and stood, one on either side. I now had the full force of the Vatican behind me. I had created a dictatorship in one fell swoop.

I get up from my armchair and walk out of the apartment. I just had to see what was happening. My pace quickened as I reached the end of the corridor and ten minutes later I was back in the large underground space where I had taken my people for the oath. In the middle of the floor was the machine. It was only up to stomach height but it was a menacing thing to look at if you knew what it could do. It was square but going through it lengthways was a cylindrical hole about the size of a human head and the outside of it looked to be reinforced. The team switched it on and emptied the contents of a large box into it. The box was full of a powder that I had made especially. The powder was actually made from pages of both mine and Misa's Death Notes. Thousands of pages had been ripped up, shredded, grinded and mashed up until we got it into a powder. The only reason this was possible was because of a certain rule in the Death Note.

**The number of pages of the Death Note will never run out.**

Because of this rule, Misa and myself sat for hours pulling pages out of our Death Notes starting from the back, and we never reached the front. They don't look like they've been altered in any way.

I walked over to the machine and the men around it immediately stepped back and let me have room to examine it. I was impressed.

"Is it ready?" I ask the man who I had chosen to lead the team.

"Yes, quite ready. All you have to do is flip that switch right there and it will complete it's objective." he replies. I put my finger underneath the switch and turn it on. The engine begins to whirl and a heat radiates from it. The whirring gets louder and I feel a kind of shockwave pass through me and the machine stops. I turn to the man I had just talked to and he gives me a nod.

Upon entering the apartment I make a quick phone call and settle back down into my armchair. Misa, Ryuk and Rem are waiting for me to speak but I say nothing and turn on the TV. A charming female news anchor is just finishing off a story and puts her finger to her ear.

"Breaking news now," she says. "the controversial new pope has just phoned this very station." I sense the three of them behind me and smile as the newsreader carries on. "Apparently, he has passed on a message that after our speculation about whether the creatures he claims to be in command of are in fact real, we will all be able to see for ourselves the next time he makes a public appearance. We will have reaction to this later." I switch off the TV and stand up, looking at the faces of Misa and the two shinigami.

"So, I presume it went well." says Ryuk.

"Well it must have done if he's confident of revealing us next time." Rem butts in.

"It went smoothly. The machine worked perfectly." I reply.

"You still haven't told us exactly what it does you know." Rem adds, hinting that I should tell them.

"I had kept it from you for this long because I wanted to make sure it would work. Now that it has I can tell you." I poor myself a drink and sit down again with Misaacross from me and Ryuk and Rem choosing to stand up. "This machine that I came across has a very special purpose. It was deemed inhumane by authorities because it is used to infect the enemy's water supply with any substance, be it poison, hallucinogens, you name it. It transmits the substance you put into it into the water. I reduced the pages of our Death Notes to dust and loaded them into the machine. All I had to do was flip the switch and there you have it; a fully infected water supply. The people who drink that water will have touched a part, if only a very small part, of the Death Notes and will be able to see you."

"And how far does this thing reach?" asks Rem. "How far will the infected water supply go?" I turn and look at her with a big grin.

"Worldwide."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: February 18, 2012**

The day had arrived where I would unveil the shinigami to the world, but before I did I had to go over things with them so we gathered around the table and sat down for a briefing.

"Ryuk, Rem, later on we're going out onto the balcony. There'll be cameras from around the world there. They'll all be able to see you and hear you and that's why I want you to play a big part in the proceedings."

"Sounds like fun." says Ryuk with a grin as Rem looks on in a sultry mood.

"What kind of part?" she asks.

"That's what comes next." I reply.

The balcony doors open to the sound of cameras clicking, reporters announcing my arrival and videographers adjusting their lenses to get me in focus. I stride out into the sun of the Roman sky dressed in my silver suit, white shirt and black tie. The fringe of my hair, still dyed, hangs to one side and my eyes pierce through the folds of it, staring out at the growing crowd. I stand at the microphone and adjust my tie.

"People of the world, my followers, non-believers; I stand here today ready to demonstrate the power that you have doubted. Don't worry one bit, I understand. You can't just believe an outlandish statement like that. You need proof. And I am here to give it you."

I could hear the crowd growing ever more excited. _Listen to them. They love it. They love me._

"Lucifer had his hell hound; Cerberus, and God had his angels. The beings that are in my command are much, much more dangerous. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you…the shinigami!"

I gesture towards the sky and the two ominous figures of Ryuk and Rem fly down and land beside me, drawing screams and panic from the crowd. You could hear the world gasp in unison. The two shinigami flank me and Misa stands at the side of Rem.

"Give them a hand why don't you." I shout to the crowd and begin clapping but no one joins in. I smile and turn to face them again. "Let it be known that from this day forward we are living in a new age. You've seen my power, you've seen my gods of death and you've seen my work." This drew strange looks and murmuring within the gathering.

"Oh! That's right! You don't know. Well then, let me reveal myself." I feel the cameras train on my face and I spot the one that is broadcasting to the BBC in England, my home country.

"Say hello to your nightmare. I. AM. KIRA!" I shout as I raise my hands to the sky and tilt my head back as I accept the praise of every person whose life I have ever made easier, everyone who I've helped deliver justice to by taking revenge on those who wronged them, everyone who thanked me in silence when I disposed of the scum of society. "So, you see, my gods of death can kill when they please…but so can I. You've seen that power. I demonstrated it in front of the world. Kira is your past, your present and your future." I give a menacing stare to the crowd and start to turn away but then pause and turn back. "One last thing. If you wish to join the Kira Army assemble in St. Peters square in ten days time. Only the most dedicated of you will be accepted and you will become my own personal force. You will arrive at the entrance of Vatican City at twelve in the afternoon, you will be searched for weapons and bugs and you will await my arrival. Good luck."

Back in the apartment I await the response on the TV. Ryuk chuckles away and eats and apple, Misa moves up to me and Rem stands behind us. The news is abuzz with clips of my speech and the main soundbyte they have is the one where I announce that I'm Kira, followed by my revealing of the shinigami. They behaved admirably today. They did me proud and I let them know this. Just as my speech begins to play in full again a caption appears at the bottom of the screen. 'Religion obsolete?' That brings a smile to my face. My speech had all the desired effects; it gave me more power, it let me reveal myself, people feared me more than ever and I was on the way to achieving my ultimate aim. I had had a vision in my head for a while of what my victory would look like. It was all coming together.

**February 28, 2012**

Trials. I had seen the applicants pile into the square for the last hour and a half and there was a wide range of them. They were just average people as you'd expect. No one with a criminal record would apply for a job with Kira so the square was full of a crowd that you'd expect to see in any city centre. They had all been searched and they were just waiting for me to arrive. There must have been thousands of them all tightly packed into the square, waiting patiently. I strolled down the staircase and walked through the doors to a chorus of thunderous cheers and applause which I accepted gracefully as I walked towards them. My Death Note was pressed against my chest just waiting to be used. I stopped about ten feet from the front of the gathered masses and greeted them warmly.

"Welcome one and all. You are the lucky ones who have applied for a place in the K.A. If you go into the building behind me and down into the lower level you will find what you're looking for. The trial will not be easy and some of you will fail but those who succeed, well you deserve a spot among the elite force that I am assembling. Go!"

The people in front of me surged forward but I stayed rooted the spot. None of them dared come within two feet of me anyway. After the last one had entered the building I slowly turned and followed them.

Down in the basement the applicants were to be put through one simple task. I had instructed Ryuk and Rem to wait down there for them and once everyone was inside they would reveal that an army was not being formed and inform them that they would kill anyone who stayed in the room for more than five minutes, thus making a sacrifice for my cause. I stood in the hallway and slowly but surely people started to pass me. Some even apologised for doing so because they knew they had failed. This test was designed to weed out the weak, to leave only the ones who were willing to die; those who wanted to do something to help me so bad that they would offer up their soul to me, not knowing anything about how their death would help me. The ones who are willing to die for me out of blind faith, even after they believe I had lied to them are the ones who deserve my attention. The mind is a powerful weapon and it separates the wheat from the chaff. After five minutes had passed I strode into the room and through the crowd to Ryuk.

"We have some strong humans here." he tells me as I survey the crowd.

"Indeed we do Ryuk." _Indeed we do._ "Those of you who have stayed have shown me that you would either join this elite group or die trying. Those of you who have stayed," I repeat "have challenged a shinigami in a game of wits and life and won. They told you that I had lied and that you would be killed to help me if you stayed. This was a lie. You are my chosen ones."

A cheer goes up and then instant quite descends as I raise my hand.

"Uniforms will be issued, weapons will be provided and an even higher rank awaits a further select few of you. You will be split into brigades, each brigade will have basement living quarters just like this. I've had them built especially for you and they all have adjoining gyms. Make full use of these. This is a real army and we are training for war. That is all for now."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: March 1, 2012**

I had been in office for just over a month and yet I had achieved so much. My new army was settling into the barracks that I had built the very first day I achieved my position. Some of my plans were in place for the same day and some were spontaneous but they all had one thing in common: they were successful.

Today was the day to put my recruits through their paces. I had to see what they had in them and if they were willing to kill in my name. I announce over the P.A system that we will be meeting in the vast underground space we now call 'The Cavern'. This was the place where I poisoned the world's water supply. As I walk through the doors I see long lines of at least fifty people stretching back to the rear end of the wide open space. There must have been roughly two thousand people in The Cavern.

"Gentlemen, ladies, today five of you will be promoted. These people may have to lay down their lives for me and our cause but you will have the honour of being part of my inner circle. If you think you have the nerve, the ruthlessness, the cunning and the skill to become part of this elite group then I urge you to apply. Do we have any volunteers?" I ask and about ten hands shoot into the air. "Step forward."

I scan the volunteers in the line. These people were the only ones to be so fanatically devoted that they would put themselves up for this. My eyes travel across the line and I could see the fierceness in their eyes. They looked splendid in their uniforms too. Grey and black. I came to the last one in the line and I almost stumbled back from shock. Stood at the end of the line with his hands in his pockets, slightly slouched, was L. Just then it was like no one else was in the room, it was just me and him exchanging glances, our eyes locked on one another. _L you haven't changed. Still willing to risk your life coming here. Everything's out in the open now. I just wish I could have seen his face when he found out I was Kira. _

"The eight of you standing here have all shown that you want this position. Therefore you will all be part of my inner circle." _I want L where I can keep an eye on him. _I dismiss them and they trot off through the door to be shown to their rooms by Ryuk. I now focus my attention on the rest of them.

"The rest of you back to your barracks. Now."

Back in my apartment I instruct Ryuk to go and fetch L. I hated how he laughed when I explained how L had gotten in here before going to get him. He walks L into the room and sits him down on the settee. L sits in his usual position with his knees up and a pondering expression on his face. When I walk in he barely looks up and in fact helps himself to an apple from the bowl on the coffee table. I sit down opposite to him. I couldn't believe it was happening. Just over a month ago I was sat here with the previous pope and now I'm face to face with my enemy, in my own apartment within Vatican city.

"Nice to see you again L." I say casually.

"And you." he replies, still focusing on his apple.

"So you've found me. What now? You're trapped in here you know."

"Good. That was my plan."

I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. Who would trap themselves inside an enemy's encampment hoping to get caught by the man he is hunting? Either way I had him where I wanted him. I was never able to find out his real name though. When I lived at the orphanage we all went under aliases. L, S, Near and Mellow. If I'd have found it out I would have written it in my Death Note a long time ago. Sometimes I wish things at the orphanage had have gone differently. We were all happy once.

**November 26, 2005**

L walked up to me and Near as we were sitting in my room at the orphanage. He sat down on the bed and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"I've been thinking." he says. "The four of us have been friends for a long time. What will you do when you leave?"

That question seemed to be aimed at me.

"I don't know really. I guess I'll still be in contact with this place. Probably working with you actually L."

"Hmm. Maybe." He replies, looking away. There was something in this conversation that made me uncomfortable and now I understand why. That was when he had decided that I was no longer wanted, no longer needed. He wanted me out so that he would have no competition in the eyes of Watari. I have no idea how he managed to convince Watari that I should be cast out though. Maybe he was in on it. Whatever the case, I was left with bitterness, resentment and a lifelong grudge. However, I went on with a normal life not being able to do anything to exact my revenge. Until the Death Note came along. At first I thought it was a little too coincidental to find one just when I needed it but I didn't question it.

**March 1, 2012**

"L?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you kick me out of the orphanage?" I ask.

"I am not ready to reveal that quite yet."  
"TELL ME!" I yell at him, rising to my feet.

"Fine. We knew something was off with you. None of us were normal children but you were something else. You could just tell. We couldn't risk keeping you. Watari sensed it too so he agreed that you should go. And that's the truth."

"Something was _off _with me? What? What was it?"

"We didn't know for sure but you were different." he replied.

"We're done here." I tell him. He gets up and leaves without a word and I collapse into a chair and think things over. I've never felt much different to anyone else, but I did always feel like I was destined for something, something great. I had achieved it too. _Come on, I need to snap out of this. There's business to do. _

I get up and walk to the phone. Picking it up I ring the office in the Vatican responsible for organising my travel. I'd not used it yet because all my work had been done inside the Vatican walls but I had to travel for this next part.

"Hello. Yeah. Book me a flight. Where to? America. I've got a meeting with the President. He just doesn't know it yet."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14, March 5 2012**

I sat in my private jet enjoying a meal of beef wellington when I was interrupted by a phone call. I took my phone out of my pocket and glanced at the name on the screen. It was Misa.

"Hello Misa," I say, answering the call. "What is it?"

"How long will you be gone?" she asks, sounding worried.

"I'm not entirely sure yet Misa but when I am I'll let you know. Ok?"

"Ok." She answers.

"Good. Is Rem there?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Put the phone on speaker please." I ask, and hear things echoing on the other side of the phone. "Rem can you hear me?"

"Perefectly." she replies. _Her voice sounded menacing over the phone._

"I'm almost in America. If I decide to stay you and Misa need to join me over there."

"If that's what Misa wants." she replies, and I hear Misa insist she does. I hang up the phone and turn to Ryuk putting another piece of beef wellington in my mouth.

"You ready Ryuk?"

"I'm always ready."

Arriving in D.C I stepped off the plane to be welcomed by a woman that showed me to a limousine waiting by the runway, ready to take me to the White House. I got in, poured myself a glass of champagne and sat in the quietness. We travelled for what seemed like an hour and finally stopped. I lowered the window and saw that I was inside the grounds of the White House. The woman who had greeted me upon arrival stepped out of the front seat and opened the door for me. Adjusting my tie I stepped out and looked at the marvellous building.

I entered the White House and was immediately stopped by an employee. She was dressed in a suit with her shirt open at the top. She wore glasses and had her light brown hair hanging down to just below her shoulder blades.

"I'm sorry sir, you…" she started to say until she got close enough to see who I actually was. "Oh, I'm so sorry sir. I didn't recognise you."

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Hemsworth, sir. Victoria Hemsworth."

"Victoria I want you to take me to the President." I tell her.

"Is…is he expecting you." she asks.

"No." I answer, matter-of-factly. She seems to ponder this for a while.

"Follow me." she finally says

We walk off, twisting through corridors until we come to some double doors. Victoria knocks on the door and when a voice permits her to enter I hold out my arm, barring her path, and walk in myself.

"Wait here." I tell her.

I close the door behind me and see the famous carpet on the floor, the big window, the desk and the man sitting behind it. He had grey hair and a firm stature, he definitely looked the part. He looks up and immediately rises to his feet.

"Kira!"

"Yes Mr President. Nice to see you too." I say as I walk towards him.

"What do you want?" His voice was half firm and half scared. I liked it.

"I want _you_ Mr President . Well, to be more precise, I want your job, your power, your influence. With me I have a contract." I lay the folded piece of paper down on his desk. "I want you to sign it."

"What's it for?" he asks.

"It's quite simple. You're the most powerful man in the world. I want that. This contract states that your country will be annexed by man and will be directly under my control. Every state, every oversees territory, every little thing that you own. It will all be handed over to me."  
"And what if I refuse to sign?" he enquires, looking worried.

"That's a great question. No one knows how I kill…except from you." I tell him as I pull out my Death Note.

"What's that?"

"This is a Death Note. All I have to do is write someone's name in it and they will die, whenever, wherever and however I want them to. If you do not sign I will kill you, your family and everyone else in this apparently great country of yours that I can think of and take power for myself."  
"You're a monster!" he yells. "You've lied to the world! They all believe you have some supernatural power and that you can kill at will."

"Well, can't I?" I ask, pulling out a pen and opening the Death Note. "So what's it going to be? You're the President and you have the opportunity to save countless lives by signing this contract."

I put pen to paper and write 'David', his first name and show it to him.

"Don't force me Mr President! You don't want to tempt me!"

"Ok ok!" he says panicking and a hear a sigh leave his lips. "I'll sign it."

He writes his name in the box marked 'full name' and signs in the box marked 'signature' and, after what seemed like a minute of deciding whether to go through with it, hands the contract back to me.

"There, you have your contract. Just ple…aaargh!"

He falls to the floor clutching his chest. I walk around the side of the desk and kneel down at the side of him. I smile down at him and hold the contract in front of his face.

"Tut tut, you really are gullible." I say calmly as I indicate a piece of text at the bottom.

'Heart attack. Collapses forty seconds after signing name, dies thirty seconds later.'

"And look there." I tell him. You literally signed your own death warrant. This is a page of the Death Note. You should always read the fine text, former President."

His eyes close and I take a seat in the chair he vacated.

"Victoria!" I call out, and find that luckily she is still stood behind the door. She looks round and sees me at the presidential desk. "Ah Victoria, have someone collect the former President's body will you. I don't want it to stink up the place. And organise a state funeral and all that. In case you haven't noticed, you're my secretary now. You got a promotion ten seconds ago."

I can see the look of bewilderment, fear and also appreciation on her face.

"Very well sir. Will that be all?"

"No. What do you think's cosier; the Vatican or the White House?"

"Well, I've always thought the Vatican was in a nicer part of the world and looked more historical and grand." she answers.

"That's what I've always thought. Very well, this shall be my summer home. Organise a flight for me back to Rome will you."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: March 7, 2012**

I had designated this day as a lazy day. Even dictators need a day off to relax you know. Sitting in front of my TV in the papal apartments I turn to the news. As usual I'm on it, but this time it was more disturbing and unexpected.

"UN members have convened for an emergency meeting today after the President of the United States was found dead two days ago. We have a clip that was sent to us by Kira himself."

A second later a clip from the tape I had recorded shortly after I gained the Presidency began to play. My face filled the screen.

"People of the United States of America, listen closely. The President has handed power over to me and me alone, and I assure you this is not my last conquest. I have destroyed religion, I have taken over Italy and I have annexed the USA. You are all aware that a large percentage of criminals have died because of me because of my no tolerance policy on crime and that the world has been largely at peace for fear of my judgement. Because of this I know that a lot of you will welcome me with open arms. To the rest of the world; watch out for me, because I'm coming."

The screen flicks back to the presenter and she puts her finger to her ear and begins to speak the words that the world will remember.

"The UN have reached a decision. They are declaring war on Kira."

I leap from my chair and turn around to see Ryuk stood directly behind me.

"Ryuk, we've been preparing for war and now it's here."

"So I heard. Should be fun." he replies.

I sit back down and think for a couple of minutes until I hear a knock on the door. Walking to it I know exactly who it'd be before I even opened it. L.

"Hello, S. I saw the broadcast."

"I thought you would have."

"Well, what are we going to do?" he asks.

"We?"

"Yes. I came here to stop you and arrest you but you've gone too far. They want you dead. We have to work together so that we can get to a place where the war is over and you can be formally charged as a criminal."

"Ok, well I'm fine with working with you but I've never had the intention of letting you catch me. When this is over, you'll die. Now if you excuse me."

"Of course."

He puts his hands back in his pockets and walks out of the door. After he had left I turn to Ryuk.

"Ryuk, I want the deal."

"Huh? What deal?"

"The shinigami eye deal. I want it. If I'm going to war I want every available weapon."

"Ok, here goes." he tells me.

"Wait! I want it to be a momentous moment. Come with me."

Ryuk follows me out the door and I lead him outside. After a ten minute walk later we arrive at a building that I had ordered to be built at the same time as the barracks. While walking I had radioed the troops and told them to meet me outside what was now the completed building. This building would literally be my seat of power. Even Ryuk seemed impressed. The massive bulding was made of stone and there was an area at the front of it with a roof supported by columns. I had always admired famous Roman architecture so I wanted this structure to look like the Pantheon; one of the greatest, most beautiful buildings on the face of the Earth. Upon the steps and the area leading to the door is a red carpet which I make my way up and I command everyone present to follow me. The inside of the building is no less impressive. At the far end of the room are steps leading to a seating area with one seat; my throne. I walk past the beautifully appointed walls and the seats that looked like pews from a church and stand at the top with Ryuk.

"Do it." I say to him.

Ryuk places his hand on my face, I feel a surge of energy and my vision blurs. He removes his hand and I open my eyes. At first I see red and a swirl of numbers and letters but then it settles down and my overall vision returns to normal but I see a name and a number above each person. _This is incredible!_

"Harvey Whitehouse."

A man from the crowd shouts out, signifying that it was him, seeming amazed that I knew his name. I didn't keep records, I never asked their names, they were pawns sent to die for me. This power truly was amazing. I could see L standing in the crowd and my eyes slowly drifted upwards.

"Lawliet!" I call out, and his eyes widen. I knew he had worked out what I had done. He had a brilliant mind. _His life…he has over seventy years left. _Just as that thought ended a blinding pain hit my insides and I kneel on the floor clutching my chest, to the horror of the watching crowd. I collapse onto all fours and scream in agony. I look up to see Ryuk standing there, not moving, not saying a thing. It was like he had expected this the whole time and was just enjoying the moment. L's words echo in my mind.

"_We knew something was off with you. None of us were normal children but you were something else. You could just tell. We couldn't risk keeping you."_

Was this what he was talking about? Was what he sensed finally coming to take me as its victim.

I feel myself lifting into the air and my body straightening out until my legs were stretched out and my arms were out to the side while I float about two feet above the ground. I looked like Christ on the cross. I let out one final blood-curdling scream and I feel my back rip. A pair of jet black wings erupts from my back in a shower of blood. I float back down to the ground and see the people in front of me cowering in fear with horrified looks on their faces. Even L looked scared of me. Their whispers were being drowned out by my pants of exhaustion. I felt new. I felt reborn. I had to ask Ryuk about it.

Back in the apartment I stand topless at the window and feel the skin on my back. It had healed. The wings and the muscles felt as natural to control as my legs or my arms; it was like another body part had been added and I had instantly learnt how to control it.

"So why did this happen Ryuk?" I ask him.

"Long story."

"I have time."

"Fine," he says. "I've known every shinigami in the shinigami realm. One of them was called Orahima. You see, a shinigami comes in all kinds of forms and Orahima came in the most unusual form you could think of for a shinigami…he looked human."

"Really? A shinigami that looked human?"

"Yes. He also felt more at home in the human world so he lived there for a while. Being a shinigami he carried on his duties but only to extend his own lifespan. One day he met a human and fell in love with her. I had only ever seen that happen once before. He eventually married her and stayed in the human world permanently, never revealing he was a shinigami. One day her life was threatened and to save her he wrote her attacker's name in his Death Note but by doing this he made the ultimate sacrifice."

"You mean…!

"Yes. When a shinihgami kills to save the life of human whose time is up, them themselves die. The woman he loved was your mother and Orahima was your father. Your mother died when you were young when another shinigami chose her at random to write in their Death Note. The short version is that you have shinigami blood coursing through your veins."

"I'm half shinigami?"

"Technically, but you have all the traits of a shinigami. Your powers were lying dormant but once I gave you the shinigami eyes they awakened. That was the push that you needed to let all of those powers go."

"So what does this mean?"

"It means that you cannot die. It means that every time you write your name in your Death Note you are extending your lifespan."

I look out of the window again and with a bit of effort I release my wings from my back.

"I can extend and retract my wings at will." I tell him.

"I've always said you'd make a good shinigami." he tells me before beginning to laugh maniacally.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: March 9, 2012**

My power had extended to more than I ever could have dreamed in the past 2 days. I had taken a few laps around Rome while testing out my new wings and seeing what speeds I could achieve. It was remarkable. They were so impressive; they were like a new toy that I just had to play with all the time. The span of each one was at least six feet, which added to the impressive look of the jet black appendages. Today though I had chosen to fly the conventional way. I was heading back to America to meet with other representatives in the UN building, to answer to the charges and declaration of war brought against me. But I had no intention of answering to anybody. I was a shinigami now and no one on earth could dictate what I did. I didn't do much for the rest of the journey except from eat and drink and think of what would be in store later on.

When I arrived I was shown inside the building and I quickly found myself at the front of the massive room in which every country meets. Every member was there; from Australia to Zimbabwe. I sat in a chair behind the podium and let the elected leader say a few words about why we were there and what we hoped to achieve by the end of it. When it was my turn I stood up and walked calmly to the podium, taking in the faces of every single representative in that room. None of them dared look me in the eye.

"Ladies and gentleman, I come here today to tell you that you do not want war. Not against me."

Whispers went up and down the tiered seating.

"I am not an ordinary man. I cannot die. Observe." I tell them and I pull out a small firearm from the waist of my trousers. _Why would they check for guns when I can kill at will?_ Screams go up from the seats in front of me and I point the gun directly at them but then turn it around and point it at myself, right at my right temple. I fire and the bullet is absorbed by my head and spit out onto the ground.

"I cannot die! There is no use in trying to kill me for I am immortal!"

I shout these words and as I do my wings explode from my back to the shock of the gathered dignitaries.

"If you still want to wage war then go ahead, but every last one of you will die and your countries will belong to me. You have been warned!"

At this I bend my knees and leap from the ground flapping my wings. I lower my head and burst through the glass, leaving everyone in the room in awestruck silence.

Back home we sit and watch the headlines roll in. The decision to go to war had been reverted, the countries of the world were living in fear and the people of these countries were afraid to commit the smallest of crimes. The world was under my thumb. Ryuk was stood behind me as always.

"You really are ambitious. I have never seen a shinigami do this much damage. I guess that's what happens when a shinigami/human hybrid comes into possession of a Death Note."

"This isn't destruction Ryuk, it's progress. I'm fixing the world."

"If you say so."

I got the feeling that he didn't exactly agree with me. Never mind. _He'll soon come to see that I am the greatest thing to happen to this planet._

"S?" says Misa quietly.

"Yes Misa?"

"What happens next? What will you do?"

"That's the beauty of it Misa. I don't know. The world has to make a choice whether to come to me or fend for itself."

I get up and walk to the window to observe the city that I had been in control of for such a short time and knew the answer to my own question straight away. The world would come crawling on its knees to me.

**April 12, 2012**

By the middle of April I had come even further. My only opposition were small pockets that were hidden away in fear that I would take away their life. China, Germany, Italy, Britain, Russia and many others had sworn allegiance to me and the K.A were in every country. More troops had been recruited to occupy those countries and keep the peace while my nine inner circle members stayed in Rome with me and five hundred other soldiers, helping me to draw up plans and decide the future of each country. I had even decided to keep L. He was no threat to me now that I had the power of a shinigami and he had given up all hope. He quickly turned to my way of thinking. The whole world knew my face, ultimately that would be a hindrance more than a help. Every dictator, no matter what their intentions, ultimately gets toppled.

While I was sitting in my apartment enjoying a drink one of my troops knocked on the door. I opened it to see a stone-faced soldier looking at me.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"The rebels living in China. More rebels from around the world travelled to join them, to band together. They've built a weapon."  
"And? I'm immortal if you don't remember."

"Yes sir, but this is an atom bomb. Not just one either. We received a call from them just now saying that unless you step down and allow them to lock you up for the rest of your life then they will detonate every last one of them and kill most of the world's population. You'll have no one to rule over sir. The world will crumble and die in the wake of an atomic blast the like of which this planet has never seen."

This took me aback. _All I wanted was to make this world better. I wanted to eradicate crime, kill the ones who deserved it. I just wanted to make people happy. _For the first time in a long time I was sad. It felt like this whole endeavour had been for nothing and that I will be forever remembered as one of the most evil men to ever walk the Earth.

"Tell them they won't capture me."

"But Sir I…"

"But!" I interrupt. "...I will step down."

I close the door and walk back to Ryuk, Rem and Misa who are all stood looking at me.

""Ryuk...I want to leave." I tell him.

"I understand." he replies.

I then turn to Misa.

"Misa, you may not see me again. Both of you take care. You too Rem."

Misa flings her arms around me and I feel a single tear drop onto my shoulder. I step back and turn to Ryuk.

"I'm ready."

He nods in acknowledgement and spreads his wings as I do the same. I take one last look at Misa and we both take off through the window. I glance back and see her crying into Rems arms as a single tear rolls down my cheek.

**2028**

Over the years I sit in the shinigami world and watch the world rebuild itself in the wake of Kira. I watch crime return. I watch civilisation as we once knew it go back to normal. No matter how long I sit here I will always be human deep down, for it's not my blood that makes me human or makes me a shinigami. What makes me human is what made me want a world without crime, a world at peace. What makes me human is the need for love and affection. That is why at times I sit and watch Misa living her day to day life. She hasn't found another yet. I think she's still holding out hope that I will return. Earlier I flew down and glided through an upstairs window. I walked into a room papered in red and white and left a spare Death Note I had acquired on the table where the TV stood, in the hope that when the boy asleep in that room awakes he will pick it up and finally meet his father.


End file.
